Moist flaky fish, crispy skin and a fresh and bright salsa verde to top it off. Ooooooh it was damn good!

Usually I’m a sucker for rich and decadent treats. Although I enjoy fresh and light dishes, I don’t usually consider them treats owing probably to some deep seated self destructive issues that relate enjoyment of food with impact on gut hehe. But seriously, it’s easy to forget that there are some really great flavours out there that are both, easy to execute and friendly to the waste-line. This here is absolutely one of them, the sea-bass fillets are pan-fried in a dash of olive oil and are simply seasoned with salt and pepper, while the salsa verde is an explosion of freshness and tanginess that leaves you wanting more and more. It’s important to make sure you cook the fish right, and to help make sure that the skin is nice and crispy, please do take a look here. Recipe below.

For the salsa verde:

So a salsa verde is usually a rustic olive oil and green herb sauce, variants for which can be found in almost all mediterranean and latin cuisines, from traditional Italian salsa verde to the Chimichurri of South America. There’s no hard and fast recipe for it, but it must be fresh, tangy, sharp and full of herby goodness. An Italian version will usually contain capers and anchovies, while a Latin American one would rely heavily on fresh coriander. For my version

1 large bunch of fresh parsley

1 small handful of fresh basil leaves

2 large garlic cloves

1 spring onion

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 small green chilli

1 tsp of capers

1-2 tbsp of white vinegar to taste

1 tsp of dijon mustard

1/3-1/2 cup of olive oil

1 large tomato, de-seeded and diced.

So making the sauce is as easy as very roughly chopping all the solid ingredients up, then adding them to a food processor or blender (reserve the tomatoes on the side) and blitzing them along with the liquids until a very rustic and rough paste or sauce forms. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Your salsa verde is ready to serve.

For the Seabass (to serve 3)

6 small Seabass fillets or 3 large thick ones, the local Seabass here in the Arabian Gulf is generally quite small, so it’s 2 fillets per person. Mind you, this also means that it takes almost no time to cook.

Once the oil is hot, place the fillets in the pan, and cook skin side down for about 4mins until the skin is golden and crispy. Don’t check the fish for at least 3min. Flip the fish over, and depending on fillet thickness, cook from as little as 30s to 2min.

Now you’re ready to plate up. Don’t pour lots of the salsa on the fish skin, because the cold acidity of the sauce will make the nice and crispy skin limp and moist. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!